Electric switch



(No Model.) 2 sums-sheet 1,.

S. BEACON. Y

ELECTRIC SWITGH, No.. 470,748. Patented Mar. 1 5, 1892.

I UNrTnn STATES PATENT enten.

SAMUEL DEACON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE THOMSON- HOUSTONELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,748, dated March15, 1892. Application tiled March 18, 1889. Serial No. 303,788. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL DnAcoN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented a certain new and useful Improved Electric Switch,of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches or devices for changingconnections of electric circuits. i

The object of the invention is to secure in the switch a quick movementof the parts in changing from one position to the other, so that onchange of position that results in the breaking of a circuit the contactparts shall separate from one another by arapid orsnapping action.

The principle of my invention may be extended to producing the samequick or rapid movement when the parts move in direction to bringthecontact-surfaces together so as to close a circuit.

yThe invention consists, essentially, in interposing between themovingparts of the switch and the actuating mechanism or handle a suitablespring, which may be subjected by said actuator to distortion, bending,compression, extension, or other action, and in holding the switchdevices from movement when the actuating device is operated until thespring has been subjected to the desired degrec of extension orcompression, when, by the operation of suitable detent devices movingwith said actuator, the moving parts of the switch shall be unlocked andwill then be propelled or operated by the power stored in theswitchthrough the operation of the actuating device.

My invention may obviously be carried out by very many forms of devicesconstituting the elements of the combination, the main principleconsisting simply in using the power stored up in the spring by theactuating device to move the switch, suitable locking or detainingdevices .being used to hold the switch while the power is being storedup, and suitable detent or unlocking devices being connected to theactuator,'so that when the same' has moved to a predetermined extent orhas produced a predetermined extension or compression of the spring theswitch shall be released and allowed to move under the operation of thespring.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a formof mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same. Fig. 4 is a planillustrating the application of my invention to a switch designed tohave a movement of rotation in the same direction both for opening andclosing the circuit.

M indicates a suitable base upon which the parts of the switch aremounted, and A the movable or rotating member of such switch. The part Ais in this figure shown as in the form'of a lever, which turns upon asuitable spindle N and carries one or more contactpins O, which areadapted to close an electric circuit by moving in between two springs BC so as to bridge the gap between them. In this case the springs B Caresupposed to form the two poles of the circuit which is to be made andbroken. The form or construction of the contact devices and thearrangement of the circuits, however, constitute no part of my presentinvention, and I have not, therefore, shown them or described them withgreat particularity.

The actuating device of the switch is shown in the present instance asconsisting of a disk H, adapted to be grasped by the hand and turned.The actuator H, also mounted on the spindle N, although it might beotherwise mounted, as is obvious, connects with a spring S, the oppositeend of which spring connects with the lever A, as indicated, so that onturning the actuator H in the direction of the arrow the spring will bewound up, provided the lever A during the operation be held frommovement.

A simple form of device which may be used fordetaining or holding thelever during the storage of the power in the spring consists of apivoted dog K, adapted to engage with a pin or stud D, mounted on thebase M. The dog K may be mounted on the switch-lever itself, as shown.

A cam pin or projection P, carried by the actuator H, so as to movetherewith in the operation of winding or storing power in the spring, isarranged,as shown, to come into en. gagement with the cam surface oredge of the dog, so as to remove the same from engagement with the stopD after the actuator H has been moved to a predetermined extent.

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The devices just described are but one of many devices which willreadily suggest themselves to mechanics as means for holding andreleasing the switch A under the conditions required.

The operation of the devices so far described is as follows: On turningthe handle II in the direction of the arrow the lever A will be held bythe dog K and power will be stored in the spring until the pin or cam Preleases the switch, when said switch will suddenly move under theaction of the spring into position to either close or open theconnection between the springs B C. In Fig. l of the drawings the switchis supposed to be in position to open the connection under the conditionillustrated, and the movement just described would result in a suddenclosing of the eircuit. A suitable stop may be employed for limiting themovement of the switch in the direction just described, and a reversemovementof the switch may be produced by means of the pin or projectionT, extending from the switch-leverA and adapted to be engaged by the pinP or some other part of the actuator on reversing the movement of thehandle II. In this operation the spring will be subjected to extensionbeyond its normal condition, provided the switch-lever Abe held frommovement. The means for detaining the switch during the storage of powerin the spring under this condition might be the friction between thepins O and the spring-contacts hugging the same, the springs in thiscase performing the office of a lock or catch. This detaining or lockingaction might be increased by a suitable conformation of the springswhere they grasp piu O. NV hen the actuator has moved to a predeterminedeX- tent, the force exerted upon the lever A will be such as to forciblyunlock or detach it from the springs, whereupon it will move away fromconnection with the springs by the operation of the spring S, in whichthe power applied to the actuator has been stored.

It is quite obvious that the position of the contact-springs might beshifted ninety de grecs, so that the circuit would be closed when thelever A is in the position shown and the circuit would be opened whenthe catch K is released after turning the handle II in the direction ofthe arrow.

The switch might be made to work to alternately open and close thecircuit by moving in the same direction under the operation of theactuator II, also moving in the same direction with every operation. Toattain this result, it would simply be necessary to place an extra pin Dat the opposite side of the switch, as indicated in Fig. 4. In thisfigure I have shown the switch-lever as carrying a spring IV, adapted tomove into and out of contact with a plate X, and to thereby open andclose a circuit formed through the plate and the switch-lever. In theposition of the parts indicated in this figure the circuit is supposedto be closed, and on moving the actuator I-l the spring will be wound asbefore, and finally the switch will be released and will move around onehundred and eighty degrees, or until the dog K engages with the oppositepin D. If the actuator II be now moved again, the operation will berepeated and the switch will move around another one hundred and eightydegrees, and be restored to connection Vith the contact-plate X. It isobvi ously not necessary that the switch should move one hundred andeighty degrees at each operation, the extent of movement beingdetermined in cach case by the distance between the pins D and thelocation of the contactplates in the path of movement of thecontact-spring W.

It is not essential to the operation of the switch ot' my invention thatthe spring bc interposed between the actuator H and the arm A, for, asshown in Fig. 5, one end of the spring S may be attached to a fixedpoint I), and a movement of the handle II in the direction of the arrowwill extend the spring until the pin D is released from the detent K,

at which instant the spring acts to quickly open the switch at B.

That I claim as my invention isl. The combination, substantially asdescribed, with an electric switch, of an actuating mechanism, aconnecting-spring between the switch and actuating mechanism, and acatch or holding device engaging with the switch for holding the samefrom movement while the spring is being subjected to strain. by theactuator, as and for the purpose dcscribed.

2. The combination, with an electric switch, of a spring applied to saidswitch, an actuator for putting the spring under strain, devicesengaging with the switch for holding the same from movement under thestrain of the spring, and means for releasing said switch when theactuator has been moved to a predetermined eXtent and the springsubjected to a predetermined strain.

The combination, with an electric switch, of a spring connecting saidswitch lwith an actuator adapted to put the spring under strain, a catchor holding device engaging with the switch for holding the same frommovement while the spring is being subjected to strain by the actuator,and a releasing device moving with the actuator and adapted to engagethe catch and release the switch from said catch when the actuator hasbeen moved to a predetermined extent, as and for the purpose described.

Signed at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, this7 th d ay of March, A. D. 188).

SAMUEL DEACON.

lVitnesses:

J. W. GIBBONEY. D. M. BARTON.

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